Conveyer-chain



R. E. BRIGGS.

CONVEYER CHAIN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.21, 191s.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

A T TORNEY.

UNITED STATES ROBERT E. BRIGGS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO PATENT OFFICE.

THE JEFFREY MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

coNvEYEn-cmn'.

To all whom it wm conccrn.

Be it known that I, Rouuu'r E. BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyer- Chains, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in chain conveyers of the class of those used for carrying load supports such as large buckets, particularly improvements in chain elements whose links have long pitch lengths and support the loads on axes remote from the axes of articulation at which the chains, in turn, are supported on the wheels or on the tracks along which they move. The long links must have a maximum of strength, with a minimum of metal, and must be connected to the load carrier in such way that there will be possibility for the latter to accommodate themselves to variations in conditions without severe strains upon any of the parts. Friction and wear at the axes of articulation must be reduced to the minimum and the weight of the partsupon whose surfaces the articulating movements occur must be hard and strong, though light.

chains 1 and 2 between which are pivotally' supported the swinging buckets 3. These chains consist of pairs of side bars 4 and 5 the bars of each pair being joined together, near each end in spaced parallelism by tubu- 'lar steel thimbles or tubes 6 and 7 respectively. These bars are formed of wrought sheet steel having their end portions shaped and perforated by punching and cutting operations.

These pairs 'of bars are arran ed alternately, end to end, the ends of t e bars 4 overlapping the ends of the bars 5 and the thimbles 6 extending through'the thimbles 7 Specification of Letters Patent. Paten'td'n 1 4 192 v Application filed November 21, 1916. Serial No. 132,708.

to form the articulation of the chain. The thimbles 6, as illustrated in Fig. 4 are formedof blanks punched from steel plates of suitable thickness and rolled to form cylinders having notches 8 at each end. Near each end of the side bars 4. are punched apertures form cylinders of such diameter that they will form journal bearings in which the thimbles 4 may rotate, and having notches 11 at each end. Near each end of the side bars 5 are punched apertures .12 of suitable size and form to engage the thimbles 7 and having lugs 13 to engage the notches 11 to prevent rotation of the thimbles 7 relative to the side bars 5. Cross bars 14 extend through the corresponding thimbles 6 of both chains 1 and 2 to hold them in spaced relation. The parts of these crossbars which are fitted in the tubes or thimbles 6 serve as pintles in relation to the tubes within which they are seated, these pintle parts bein positioned at the axes of articulation. Tosh tioned upon the thimbles 6, outside the side bars 4 are washers 15 having lugs 16 to engage the notches 8 to prevent rotation relative the thimbles 6 and also having laterally extending sleeves 17 in which are formed oppositely disposed notches 18 adapted to engage cotter pins 19 which extend through the apertures 20 of thethimbles 6 and the cross bars 14 to secure the various elements of the chain in their relative positions.

Journaled upon the outer surface of the thimbles.7 are flanged traction rollers 21 which are adapted to support the conveyer upon suitable track rails along the horizontal planes of its path of travel. By the construction above described the side barsof each pair are so joined to their respective thimbles that there may be no rotary motion between, and consequently no wearing of the parts at these points.

The relative rotation of articulation between pairs being confined to the thimbles 6 and 7 distributes the wear over the large bearing surface of the thimbles and greatly increases thelife of the chain. Between each pair of side bars 4 and 5, midway between 25 attached to the ends of the buckets 3 to form their pivotal supports. As it is practically impossible to maintain the two chains of the conveyer in perfect alinement at all parts of the circuit of the conveyer, it is desirable to provide a measure of flexibility in the pivotal mounting of the buckets. This flexibility is secured b tapering the apertures 24 from both en s toward the middle (Fig. 1), thusforming a oint bearing 26 at the-center of the bearing blocks upon which the trunnion pins 25 may rock.

It will be seen that all of the operative parts which are subjected to strains and torsional action, are formed of light,but strong, wrought steel. The sheets from which the articulating tubes or thimbles 6 and 7 are formed have their faces hardened, so that although these sheet tubes are cheaply and rapidly formed, they reduce the amount of metal to the minimum. They resist wear and support the ends of the long links and the heavy loads carried at the centers, longitudinally, of these links. The only cast metal is that in the locking washers 15 and these are subjected to no severe strains or torsion, being used merely to prevent lateral displacement, in either dlrection, of the side bars of the chain links from the articulating tubes. The cylindrical surfaces where the tubes contact with their respective link bars I are short, and a rigid connection of the bars and the tubes cannot be provided such as is incident to thick cast tubes having-wide connecting and contacting surfaces with thick east side bars. Dependence must be placed upon the readily detachable washers 15, one at each end of the connecting thimbles to prevent separation of the side bars from the 7 ing in a detachment of the side bars from the tubes of the links.

' Each tube,or thimble 6 extends at each end, to points considerably beyond the outer faces of the adjacent side bars 4. The extended end portions of this tube provide a long bearing or support for the lock washers 15, and as the latter are fitted tightly against the outer faces of the side bars 4, they, in effect, give a prolonged base of support for the bars 4 on the tube, and in relatlon to the interior pintle part of the bar 14.

Each chain may be regarded as made up of a longitudinally disposed series of pairs of links, each pair comprising a link with side bars havin its ends overlapping the ends of the side pair.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a conveyer chain, the combination of a longitudinally disposed series of pairs of links, one link of each pair having side bars which at their adjacent ends overlap and are outside of the endsof the bars of the other link of the pair, the inner faces of the outer side bars contacting with the outer faces of the inner bars, a pintle at the axis of articulation of the overlapping ends of the side .bars of the said two links, an articulating end tube inserted in the ends of the inner side bars, an articulating tube fitting within the aforesaid tube and fitting said pintle and inserted through apertures in the outer side bars and extended to points beyond said outer bars, lock washers fitted to the projecting end parts of the last said tube and detachable fasteners for the washers locking them to the said tube and locking the said tube to the pintle. j 2. In a conveyer chain, a link having side bars 5 formed of thin wrought metal cut to have relatively large apertures 12 with lugs 13, a relatively large cylindrical end bar 7 formed of bent sheet steel cut to have locking edges at 11 to engage the lugs 13, a link having wrought metal side bars 4 outside of and contacting with the side bars 5 and cut to form the relatively small apertures 9 with edge lugs 10, a relatively small end tube 6 inserted into the apertures 9 and extended to points beyond the side bars 4, said tube G'being cut to form locking edges to engage the lugs 10, a pintle fitted wit in the elongated tube 6, and locking devices positively fastening the extended ends of the tube 6 with the pintle and positioned to prevent lateral displacement of the side bars of either link from its end tube. I In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT E. BRIGGS.

ars of the other link of the Witnesses:

HARRY C. DEAN, DUDLEY T. FISHER. 

